Wooden vessel.



- s. Ross.

WUODEN VESSEL.

(Application led .Illy 19, 1900.)

Patented Feb. I2, I90l.

(11H0 Model.)

nutren @trarne .arnfr trios..

GRANT ROSES, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. O. TATE, OFSAME PLACE.

SPEGIFIGATIUM forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,953, dated Februaryl2, 1901.

Application led July 19, 1900. Serial No. 24,191. (No model.)

Be it known that I, GRANT ROSS, a citizen of the United States, residingat Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented anew and useful Wooden Vessel, of which the 'following is aspecification.

My object is to prevent the annoyances and loss incident to woodenpails, tubs, and tanks leaking and collapsing on account of theshrinking of the wood and consequent impairment of the joints.

My invention consists in the construction and combination ofinterlocking staves, a bottom, and a locking device for retaining allthe parts united, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is atop view of a section of a cylindrical vessel of equal diameter from topto bottom. Figs. 2, 3, and 4: show modified forms of tongues and groovesfor joining staves together. Iiig. 5 is a perspective view of a taperingstave adapted for making wooden vessels that are larger in diameter atthe top than at the bottom. Fig. 6 is a per spective view ot" the lowerend portion of a stave adapted for locking all the parts together. Fig.7 is a vertical sectional View of a pail and shows how the staves andbottom are locked together.

The letter A designates a wood en stave that may vary in width,thickness, and length as desired. It has an integral tongue l) at oneedge, extending its entire length and that is narrower at its innerportion than at its outer portion, and a corresponding groove c in itsother edge, adapted to admit the tongue b by inserting the lower end ot'the tongue of the mating stave into the top of the groove and thenpressing it downward to produce a joint extending from top to bottom.The connection thus produced between adjoining staves will prevent themfrom becoming separated without moving them longitudinally, andconsequently the abutting edges of staves will remain securely connectedwhen the wood shrinks, and the vessel therefore cannot collapse.

Each stave A has a transverse groove d on the bottom portion of itsinside face, and when they are in coinciding position thecircumferential edge of the bottom H is fitted and fixed in saidtransverse grooves.

In assembling the staves that are to be connected to form a vessel theyare all joined together at their edges by means of the tongues h andgrooves c, excepting one, before the bottom is put in place. Leaving outthe one stave that has the locking device at its lower end allows thebottom I-I of the vessel to be connected with the assembled staves. Bythen pressing the locking-stave into its place all the staves arethereby keyed together. The only difference between the locking-staveand the others is that in place of a transverse groove CZ in its lowerend portion a section is removed and a removable block m fitted in itsplace and fastened thereto by means of pins or screws n, as shown inFigs. 6 and 7, or in any suitable way, so that the key or locking stavecannot move, and consequent-ly all the parts will be securely lockedtogether, so that when the wood does shrink they will neverthelessremain securely connected, and

swelling the wood will again make the joints water-tight.

Heretofore metal straps have been fixed to staves above the bottom andextended below the bottom and fixed to the under side of the bottom; butit is objectionable to have metal straps exposed on the inside of avessel and greatly advantageous to have the locking device entirelybelow the bottom of the vessel.

Having thus described the manner of forming and combining the staves andbottom and locking them together, the advantages and practical utilityof my invention will be readily understood by persons familiar with theart to which it pertains, and

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a cylindrical wooden vessel, a plurality of staves each having atongue on one of its edges extending from end to end and a correspondinggroove in its other edge and coinciding transverse grooves in the insidefaces and lower portions of the staves and the lower end ot' one staveadapted for fastening a locking device thereto below its transversegroove, arranged and combined in the manner set forth for the purposesstated.

2. A cylindrical wooden vessel, a plurality IOO of staves each having atongue on one of its edges extending from end to end and a correspondinggroove in its other edge and coinciding transverse grooves in the insidefaces and lower portions of the staves, and the lower end of one staveadapted for fastening a locking device thereto below the transversegrooves, a bottom fitted in the coinciding transverse grooves in thestaves and a locking device positioned on the under side of the bottomand fixed to one of the staves, arranged and combined for the purposesstated.

3. A cylindrical Wooden vessel comprising eer/395e a plurality of stavesjoined together by means of tongues and grooves at their edges andprovided With coinciding transverse grooves in their inside faces andlower port-ions, a bottom fitted in said transverse grooves and alockingestave having an inside face portion removed from its lower endand a block fitted and fixed in its place, arranged and combined as andfor the purposes stated.

GRANT ROSS. Witnesses:

E. P. ALEXANDER, THOMAS G. ORWIG.

